I was with my boyfriend for two years when I found out I was pregnant during hurricane Sandy and there were no buses or trains or any kind of transportation for days, power was out for two weeks, I had no battery on my phone and I had no way to contact my boyfriend and tell him. We were doing long distance for a year and he was in ____ state so I couldn’t even go to his house and tell him, I called from a pay phone and told him and we both didn’t know what to do.
Me and him always said we never ever wanted kids, he even went as far as going to planned parenthood and getting a vasectomy and I always wanted to tie my tubes but I’m too young.... clearly the vasectomy didn’t work and we were pregnant and both confused. We talked and talked for days and decided we’d keep it, we didn’t know how we would pay for an apt. and a baby and my move to ____ state but we’d make it work. I didn’t know how I would graduate college in my last year and have this baby but we would make it work. I told my mom I was pregnant right away and I had her tell my dad because I couldn’t face him, neither were thrilled about it but said no matter what I chose they would support me and love the baby.
I was still conflicted over everything because I had a life plan and this wasn’t what I planned, I didn’t even want kids and the more I thought about everything I would give up I started becoming unsure about keeping it. I still decided to keep it until my mom sat me down and spoke from her heart and told me she didn’t want to see me struggling because I chose to have this baby and she didn’t want me to give everything up for this baby I didn’t even want in the first place. It was the hardest decision I ever had to make in my entire life, it was emotional and life changing but I chose abortion because in my heart I knew I didn’t want this life and I didn’t want to give up everything I wanted for something that wasn’t even planned. I realized that I could have a baby whenever I wanted but if I had THIS baby I could never ever take that back.
3 days before my 24th birthday I went to the Planned Parenthood that I have been going to since I was 19 and had my abortion. I thought it would be a lot more emotional and I would feel some kind of attachment but I was ok, no tears, no hard feelings – it felt like I was doing the right thing. My doula was amazing and so was the doctor that performed the abortion and all throughout the procedure they made me feel at ease and never once made me think twice about what I was doing. Fast forward a year later: me and my boyfriend ended up breaking up because he was cheating on me throughout the entire relationship.
I’m so grateful for my abortion because I’m not sure I would be who I am today or where I would be if I didn’t get my abortion.
An abortion is emotional and personal and never an easy decision and no one wants to ever have one but shit happens and you can always have another baby when the timing is right and when it’s on your terms, an abortion is painful but you will get over it and day by day you start to think less and less of it but you will never forget it.
Every year when November 12 arrives I remember the day I had my abortion and when June arrives I remember the day my child would have been born.